Reset Generation Review

An advanced course in videogame history.

The same cyborgs, ninjas, and scantily clad elves have been running around generic castles and similar stock environments since the earliest days of the arcade. With amusing parodies of these iconic characters (like "Hedgehog" and "Plumber"), Reset Generation pays homage to and pokes fun at gaming stereotypes, all while introducing a clever new type of strategy game.

Instead of battling enemy armies (like in most turn-based strategy games), you lay down Tetris blocks to build a bridge in order to rescue your opponents' princesses. You'll also acquire special items, like the Biggest Frickin' Gun Possible, which let you destroy your opponent's bridge or damage them. You can pick up some of the deeper strategies by playing through the varied, tutorial-like story mode, but if you really want to understand how Reset Generation works, you'll have to take it online.

Click the image above to check out all Reset Generation screens.

Reset Generation's matchmaking and leaderboard rankings are already becoming a big hit on the Web, where it's currently available to play for free. The web version serves as a hook for the mobile version, and you can play online between both platforms. In the end, we found that the web version is better for chatting and trash talking, but the cartoon graphics look much nicer on a Nokia phone.

One complaint about online play: Random chance often plays a larger role in deciding these matches than it should. Otherwise, the graphics and sound design are excellent, and the multiplayer action is intensely competitive -- with more than two players, you'll find alliances are formed and broken constantly.

Since this is a first-party Nokia title, you're unlikely to find this unique game on any other console or phone. The humor alone is great, but Reset Generation also has a complex, challenging multiplayer mode. It's easily worth playing for hours on the Web for free, but if you have a Nokia phone, Reset Generation is also a must-buy for the road.